Ayahuasca Talks with Rebecca Hayden

It’s interesting to note how we tend to value human life intrinsically when it is brand new – babies being born into this world – or when it is almost over – people on their death beds. In these two instances, as babies and on the brink of death, we are the closest to an existence beyond this one. From all accounts of those who have had near death experiences, who have visited the existence beyond the one we know so well, it is understood that all of us have great value. It is experienced in the form of a love so profound and permeating that no one wants to return. So how do we as human beings, lose our sense of self-value and love? It happens in so many ways on an individual and societal level, and I think it starts when we place value on what a person does or doesn’t do above who they are. As children, the focus on our accomplishments is rather high beginning with when we begin to talk and walk and then school, lessons and measurements of all sorts and it’s possible to lose our sense of self-value in focusing so much on what we’re ‘good at’ or ‘not good at’ and how we measure up to others – the comparisons can be disturbing and relentless. There is also what we do for others – how we benefit others as a measurement of self-worth as though our only value is in what we offer to others apart from the simple, intrinsic value of who we are. Children pick up on all of these signals related to value, which is very much focused on appearance, abilities and certain kinds of accomplishments. It’s how things have been for so many years, generation after generation. Perhaps we can change that now.

I have been focusing inward a great deal over the past 5
years after my initial foray into shamanic healing and I have learned that
self-love is a fundamental aspect of well-being. More and more people are
becoming aware of this profound truth, which is a sign of positive change and
hopefully it signals a generational shift that bodes well for the future of
humanity. There is a refreshing wave of interest in self-love and yet, many
still struggle with this concept because of the influence of the past and the
continuing and residual attitudes that permeate our society. I think that for
many of us, self-love is a concept that takes some effort and consideration to embrace
let alone to embody. After all, many of us have come from backgrounds filled
with praise for being ‘selfless’. It was quite a revelation to me to begin to
operate from a position of ‘self-service’, which has been an essential theme throughout
my shamanic healing journey. I found it
surprising and ultimately liberating to embrace ‘what serves me’ realizing that
some things that I had considered to be self-serving in the past, were not
truly serving me at all. However, at the heart of this, if I am to truly master
it, is self-love, which requires an appreciation for our intrinsic value – my
intrinsic value. I’ve sat with it and considered it and just allowed the
lessons to come realizing that like many of the shifts I’ve experienced on this
journey, it takes time to make the big changes in perspective – to own them,
apply them and embody them.

I think the greatest opportunity for me to truly come to terms with the idea of our intrinsic value came when my dad was at the end of his life. He had been in long term care for years before the end came and when it did, I had a deeply moving dream about a month beforehand. My dreams have become important healing and teaching tools since my earliest involvement in shamanism and some stand out more than others. This dream woke me up in the middle of the night and inspired me to record the message that came with it because it was so important. In fact, it was my father’s eulogy and I was giving it in my dream with the guidance of this wise voice that I have been hearing ever since my first journey with Ayahuasca in Peru. During this eulogy, there were accounts of some of my dad’s finer attributes but it became clear that these descriptions: kind, handsome, funny & gentle could be attributed to many other people. So what was it about my dad that made him so valuable and lovable? It was quite simply who he was. That unmistakable and unique essence of the man we knew and loved so well. It was his intrinsic value. We knew this without question as we grieved and thought about his life and the time we shared with him. Could we know this without question about ourselves too? This ultimate truth about all of us that others will experience when we pass? Through this dream and the eulogy that I actually gave at his funeral, my father offered me a most valuable lesson that I’m passing onto you.

This is a powerful lesson and recognizing the power of it
and the simple truth of it is important. One of the deepest truths that I have
learned through this ever-present guiding voice and through many shamanic
ceremonies and experiences is that who we are and how we regard ourselves is
felt by others without us even saying a word. It’s felt and it’s a signal that
we send out into the world that is being responded to all the time. So, if we
regard ourselves with love, we are creating the best possible experience for
ourselves in this life. Once we become accustomed to experiencing self-love and
valuing ourselves in this way, we can cultivate a society that recognizes the
intrinsic value of humanity which will be reflected in all kinds of positive
ways that will begin to change how we exist – how we educate children for
example which can change everything. After all, if we place such value and importance
on ourselves then we will place importance on learning about ourselves in the
earliest stages of our lives – something that has been a giant gap in our
education so far. I think we have a lot of work to do to bring this great shift
about but I do believe it’s underway and it is a sort of progressive,
intentional evolution – one that must begin on an individual level. It all
begins with self-love. Who knew that this could be such a learning curve? But
it is and once we face this and intentionally take it on, we can begin to learn
and embrace what it means to recognize our own intrinsic value, knowing the
profound impact it can have on our own lives, on the next generation and on our
world. Just think of how many aspects of our society would change if self-love
was a core value that had to be considered and adhered to – before making any
policy or product or program. Make no mistake, loving yourself and recognizing
your intrinsic value is important work. I hope you begin this work today and
open up to all of the wondrous possibilities that come with it.

During my daily dialogue with Aya there have been many lessons
around my thought patterns and some of the best lessons came when I was
actually in ceremony (after ingesting Aya).. or so I thought. The reason I
thought this was because during ceremony, I didn’t have my usual defense
mechanisms at play – I was a captive audience. However, during one particularly
memorable ceremony, Aya deliberately allowed my thoughts to occur as they
normally would and used this opportunity to show me how I allowed my thoughts
to get in the way of doing the things I wanted to do in my life. She literally
showed me these thoughts as they occurred right after she had encouraged me to
consider doing something wonderful. My conception of this wonderful endeavour
was inevitably followed by thoughts that began to belittle this idea and make
it seem not realistic or unlikely to succeed. Ayahuasca then pointed out how
these thoughts themselves were the barriers I faced – not the subject or
content of the thoughts, just the actual thoughts themselves. Then Ayahuasca
said “Tell Them!” in an emphatic way.

This is not the first time that Ayahuasca has asked me to pass
on messages, teachings and urged me to talk about the things I’ve experienced
and learned. During a ceremony previous to the one described above, the usually
abundant dialogue with Aya was very sparse and after a short lesson about how I
create my own barriers (one of her favourite subjects) I heard “We will speak
through you” and then I purged in a way that I won’t soon forget (and
unfortunately, nether will the others in the clean up crew). Other than the
obvious discomfort of the purge and the rigors of the medicine itself, it
sounds like an easy thing to do to share these teachings but it wasn’t for me.
I felt that I had to sufficiently address these issues myself before I could
pass along these messages and teach what I was learning. But what did I
consider to be sufficient? It was a yardstick that just kept growing and I
could never measure up.

I had always been rather critical of spiritual teachers –
probably because somewhere inside of me, I knew that I was one myself. My
expectations of them were extremely high and this is one of the many lessons in
the form of cosmic jokes that I’ve encountered on this integrative journey with
Ayahuasca. It’s a good thing that I have a sense of humour – it comes in handy.
Every time I’ve judged people in my life it has come back to haunt me and I’ve
been humbled on many fronts. This particular judgement was the most difficult
because it became a barrier to my own calling. How could I teach if I was so
self-critical, that I could never live up to my own standards? It was more than
a barrier – it was a trap. I managed to make it seem so righteous. Ayahuasca
was not impressed.

Well, I’m over it. One thing I always admired in teachers was their willingness to continue to learn and this is something I can honestly say that I’m constantly doing. Ayahuasca is my constant teacher and one of the best lessons yet was one she offered to help me to address my misgivings about moving forward with teaching. She let me know that due to this constant guidance, my awareness of my thoughts – including the ones that are harmful – is heightened. As I continue to move beyond my comfort zones, it inevitably involves contending with the thoughts that protest this move. She kindly pointed out to me that this is a sign of growth and progress in my life. If I wasn’t constantly moving beyond my comfort zones, I would not have to face and address or traverse these protesting thoughts that intervene. The point is to not let them take over and dominate my decisions or feelings about what I’m doing.

Ultimately, I hope to rest between major shifts outside of my comfort zones. In the meantime, I have decided to regard these periods of discomfort as badges of honour and to move forward with teaching, knowing that we’re all learning together. All I can do as a teacher is to pass on what I learn. This is all any teacher can do and it’s not only teachers that do this. I learn from everyone and what I hope to inspire people to do is to discover the ultimate teacher – the teacher within.

Throughout my long journey of healing from depression, I have been learning about the things I need to change within myself. It’s been a challenging, immeasurably rewarding and highly educational experience. It has been a process that has taught me more about myself and about humanity than I could have learned in any other way. I have always been drawn to and moved by Philosophy (the love of wisdom) so this process is feeding a very deep need in me and I’m always wanting to learn more. I know without a doubt that this is where I was meant to be, on this path of learning, and it took depression to ultimately lead me here.

One of the reasons why it’s so challenging to learn about the things that I need to change is that I, like many others, have to contend with an inner (and sometimes outer) kneejerk defensive reaction that wants to protect myself from any kind of accusation of wrong doing. If something needs to change, there needs to be an understanding of what that is and why it needs to change. This is often where the defense mechanism kicks in and this defensive reaction has everything to do with having been immersed in a punishment oriented world for so long – one that breeds this defensiveness in so many of us. The defense is a means of avoiding punishment (a sort of survival instinct). Whether it’s physical, disciplinary punishment (my parents were big softies when it came to this actually) or more of a constant series of responses that indicate how underserving a person is who has ‘done wrong’, it’s a pattern underlying typical social behaviour in our world beginning from early childhood. It is both formal in some instances (reprimands/discipline of children or legal action/jail for adults) and informal in others (social shaming, exclusion and an endless nuanced form of passive aggression). It’s a pervasive pattern that becomes internalized. The continued internal self-punishment and admonishment supports the ongoing external version – that which we apply to others – often in the form of judgement.

On a personal level, when you disparage someone else in your own mind for doing something that is considered to be wrong, you are reinforcing that tendency to punish. This strengthens the punishment reaction so that it becomes alive and well in the mind. Unfortunately, this inner tendency towards punishment is most often directed at yourself because you are the person you live with 24hrs a day. This is really what’s behind the old standing piece of wisdom: ‘When you hurt others, you’re only hurting yourself’. As it turns out, this has merit.

Punishment is a deterrent to personal growth and most importantly to unconditional self-love, which is an imperative for well-being. Because of the anticipation of punishment, defensiveness is justified as ‘self-protection’. This act of self-protection can be mistaken for an act of self-love. It is not. The defense itself is actually based on a false assumption that we can only be loved or be worthy of love if/when we don’t ‘do wrong’ or that if we ‘do wrong things’, we’re not entitled to or deserving of love – even if temporarily. It’s such an old, familiar and damaging paradigm and tearing this down can be extremely liberating. It can be both a beginning and an end: the beginning of compassion and an end to suffering.

It has been a mandatory part of my healing and growth to exercise compassion with myself and with others. Compassion is something that I have learned to nurture within. At times it’s utterly inspired and I am at peace. At others, it takes a supreme effort and I have to remind myself of the wisdom of this approach and of its constant rewards. The rewards of compassion are very clear. If I create an atmosphere in my mind of compassion, I give myself more opportunities to grow and change for the better. In an atmosphere of compassion, I have every incentive to do this because I’m no longer wasting energy defending myself and living in fear of punishment. If I’m treating myself and others with compassion and benefiting from it, I am cultivating an atmosphere of compassion all around me. This is the real revolution. Moving away from punishment and towards compassion is a revolutionary act. In fact, it might be more appropriate to term it an evolutionary act. I believe that we are growing out of this punishment phase of humanity.

Despite popular belief, punishment doesn’t work – not even formally. There have been numerous studies to support this fact and overwhelming evidence. Incarceration and corporal punishment have not reduced crime. In fact crime has only increased steadily and incarceration facilities are growing. Punishment is not effective in bringing about positive change because it only motivates people to avoid punishment rather than to consider for themselves why deep personal change might be necessary and how it might benefit them.

My path of intentional, personal growth began with Shamanism, an ancient practice of healing which for me has involved using many tools & medicines including Ayahuasca and always guided by a higher form of consciousness. There are many ways to access a higher form of consciousness. Some do this through meditation. For me, Shamanism has involved a form of meditation that we call journeying. Whatever name we put on it, this experience can be very liberating. I needed to be liberated from my way of thinking and this liberation has been an instrumental part of my healing. One of the main concepts introduced early in my Shamanic practice was the idea of ‘self service’. If I was to heal and grow, I needed to make changes. This meant dropping behaviour that ‘no longer served me’. In this phrase you may detect a distinct lack of judgement. There’s not the heaviness of ‘wrong doing’ associated with behaviour. It’s quite simply not in my best interest to do these things and therefore it makes sense that I stop doing them. Our judgemental attachment to so-called ‘wrong doing’ is what leads to so much more ‘wrong doing’, which is really just illness – hence the constant reference in Shamanism to ‘healing’ and ‘medicine’.

My experience of healing has helped me to see myself and to approach my life and the world in different ways. I continue to learn about what it means to be ill by learning and experiencing what it means to be well. When I have had difficulties of my own or with others, it helps to see that these difficulties are part of an illness that can be treated rather than an evil or bad behaviour. Once there is judgement, a heaviness is attached, and it becomes much more difficult for me to extricate myself from it. If I’m able to see it as illness, compassion is my response rather than judgement and this changes everything. Would we punish someone for being ill? Even formally, we have laws to protect the mentally ill from punishment. However, I think it’s time that we change the way that we define and perceive mental illness. A favourite quote comes to mind:

“It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society”

Jiddu Krishnamurti

The wellness and mindfulness movement is an indicator of this need for change and our desire to move forward in a different way. Those of us who have been forced to focus on wellness have discovered that this is not a quick fix. True wellness requires big changes in the ways that we think about and act towards ourselves and towards others. It requires effort and it requires compassion.

Once you begin to see the results of compassion, a form of love, you marvel at the power of it and how freeing it is. Mostly, you marvel at how good it feels and then you understand that there is an alternative to suffering. We have a choice in this and moving from punishment to compassion is a choice and a powerful step towards ending suffering.

During my ceremonies with Ayahuasca, like so many others, I had a dialogue with a higher form of consciousness that we call Ayahuasca. When I returned from the jungle, the dialogue continued. During one ceremony, Ayahuasca asked me to put pencil to paper and when I did, the following metaphorical story emerged about the nature of our personal power and how we may use it either to build barriers or to create a new world:

Your Keys

You carry a key inside of you, and that key opens the doors of the world that you create. You are creating new worlds all the time and using your key to enter those worlds. The key must remain with you so that you may have access to these new worlds. If you give that key away you lose access.

Giving Your Key Away

Given the importance of this key, it must remain within you. If you give away your key, you give away access to those new worlds–new possibilities. Once the key leaves you, the ability to enter those new worlds resides outside of you. If you put that key into someone else’s hands you have given that person your own access to these new worlds and possibilities. Once this happens your dependency on that person begins. This dependency often breeds resentment. This resentment is the foundation of structures called barriers. We build these structures that encompass our fears of using our own keys. Our focus shifts from these new possibilities to the keeper of the keys.

The Keeper of the Keys

This keeper is now in possession of the key to these new possibilities. This possession is never permanent. It is an illusion supported by the owners of the keys. This illusion becomes more powerful as the focus on the keeper grows. The keepers of the keys are now reviled by the owners because the keepers are restricting access or building worlds that the owners don’t like. This creates conflict.

The Key Owner’s Dilemma

Being convinced that the keepers now own the keys, the owners feel powerless. Every time the owner begins to build a new world this same owner destroys it in the name of the keeper always placing the responsibility for this destruction solely on the shoulders of the keeper. The owner’s frustration builds. How can the owner be expected to create a new world when the keeper stands in the way?

The New Owner’s Thoughts

Now that the keys have no real home having been discarded by the owners and never truly residing with the keeper, the keys constitute an immense unused power. This power is needed and desired by every owner and yet remains unused. The keys are illuminated every time someone breaks out this trap. Those who break free not only see the keys at everyone’s disposal, they also see the multitude of keys to the endless new worlds that they may build.

These are not only the new owners but the true owners as they acknowledge where the true power lies. The new owners see not only the possibilities but the endless struggle of those who deny ownership of their keys. This is a dilemma indeed. How can they help the other owners and keepers to see the reality of the natural and true state of the keys? They must show this by using their own keys to build new worlds in hopes that others will be inspired to claim ownership of their own keys. This is the path to freedom.

This is only an excerpt of the story that continues to unfold. I wrote this story but Ayahuasca is the author. I learned a great deal from writing this story and continue to learn more each time I read it. It is becoming a book. This is quite an undertaking that Ayahuasca has tasked me with (while continuing all of my other work) and I’m reaching out to find partners/supporters/fellow co-creators in this undertaking. I am looking for a very special editor to advise me on certain aspects of this project. I will self-publish if necessary, but I would like to find a publisher who is inspired to take this on. Through this work, I have begun to see that our world is filled with unusual and inspiring things if we’re willing to see them and most importantly, to create them.

My life has changed so much since I’ve become involved in shamanism. One of the most important aspects of shamanism is what we can learn from it. I’m guided through most aspects of my life now and my dreams have become vehicles for messages and lessons. This is a lesson I received in a dream in the form of a eulogy a few months before my father died. It was telling me that my father’s time on this earth was ending. My dad passed on April 27th, 2018 and I gave this dream inspired eulogy (everything after the first paragraph) at his funeral. The lesson included in my father’s eulogy is an important and universal one.

—

My dad helped his kids move. All 5 of us and we moved a lot. I remember him suggesting that we consider buying inflatable furniture. My dad had a good sense of humour. He gave his time and energy to people in need. He volunteered at the Out of the Cold program at St. Mike’s hospital in downtown Toronto. They took in homeless people overnight during the winter. My mom told me recently that one day, during this time, he mentioned that he had to bring one of the men in the program to the emergency room because his foot was really bad. My mom asked how he discovered this and he told her that he was doing this man’s toe nails.

He did perform selfless acts but that was not what made my dad special. He was special because of who he was. Those of us who knew him, have a sense of that unique quality that was Joe Hayden. We can use descriptive words like kind, gentle, funny and all of these words are true. But there are other kind, gentle, funny people who are not my dad. He was one of a kind. A unique being that we had the honour to know. We know this now, without any doubt, this essence that was my dad that made him so valuable. Unfortunately, he didn’t know this.

My father experienced an inner battle, one that caused him to feel what people describe as depression. At times, this made it an exquisite effort to do things that others might do effortlessly. We all have an inner life that others may not be aware of. I have experienced this inner battle and it was at it’s worst after my son was born. I know that sometimes, just dropping your child off to their lessons can be a courageous act when the battle is raging.

My dad, this unique and truly lovable person we all knew him to be, didn’t realize that just being who he was, was enough. I think if he did, the battle would have been won long ago. Many of us have trouble with this and I wonder if as a tribute to my dad, we may all start to realize the truth of it. Something we know without a doubt about my father is also true about each and every one of us. The greatest gift my dad gave us was the gift of himself. His unique, irreplaceable, lovely self. We all give that gift every day. Knowing this can make a huge difference in our lives and in the world. This is the final lesson my dad taught me, his final gift that I’m passing onto you.

After the phenomenal experience that is Ayahuasca, many of us are left wondering how to carry this experience into our everyday lives. Many of us pursued the medicine to improve our lives and our relationships. In this workshop, we will focus on the most important relationship you have in this life: your relationship with yourself. You’ll discover the ways in which you may improve this relationship by exploring the decisions you make in your life and the considerations surrounding these decisions. You’ll discover the agreements that are in place in your life and the beliefs that support them. Most importantly, you’ll recognize the immense opportunities for change that exist in these discoveries.

The entire presentation has been inspired by the guided and integrative experiences I’ve had with Ayahuasca. In ceremony, Ayahuasca asked me to ‘put pencil to paper’ and this is the result: http://offthedeepend.ca/blog/category/ayahuascawisdom/ The workshop was created in this way and will be devoted to applied Ayahuasca wisdom with the central focus being self-love. Ayahuasca continually reinforces the idea that we create our own reality. If we create from a position of love, our lives will be a healthy reflection of this love. Ayahuasca is often an introduction to ‘the work’ and how we apply what we learn is the work-in-progress that is our daily lives. For me, it’s a labour of love and I look forward to sharing it with you.

The ancient practices surrounding Ayahuasca are considered to be sacred as is the medicine itself. I truly respect and appreciate the sacred traditions of Peru where I first drank the medicine but what of the values of this teacher plant? What I’ve learned from the medicine is that we are all sacred, and how we feel, live and think are so much more important than the kinds of things we focus on all too often. The truth is that Ayahuasca is being practiced in the Amazon in a very different way than it has been for most of its existence. Traditionally, Ayahausca was only experienced by shamans or medicine women/men, who would drink the medicine then pass along Ayahuasca’s teachings, healing and wisdom to others in the tribe, clan/village. Now, Ayahuasca is being offered to large numbers of people from all over the world. Why? Because we need it. It’s quite intentional that this medicine is spreading worldwide and it’s understandable that as it spreads, new traditions are being born. After all, the tradition of serving it to so many people at once is a very new one. It’s also to be expected, that many people who are just discovering this medicine will use it in ways that are very different than what is considered to be traditional.

To honour Ayahuasca is to honour the wisdom and the nature of its healing. The medicine has made its way into other cultures and areas of the world for a reason. It is a medicine and it’s treating illnesses. These illnesses appear in many ways and they don’t only exist in one area of the world, they exist everywhere. There are many traditional people who may honour tradition more than the values of Ayahuasca. This reminds me of the reason why religion never appealed to me – Christianity and Catholicism in particular. It occurred to me very early in life that in many situations, the people involved in this religion were more concerned with tradition than following the teachings at the very core of the religion. They forgot about love.

My own relationship with the medicine has been of a non-traditional nature. I experienced Ayahuasca in what would be considered by many to be a traditional setting in the jungle with Maestras and Maestros from the Shipibo tradition. Except for the fact that there were people from all over the world receiving the medicine, I believe that these incredibly loving and gifted shamans performed their work in a way that was considered to be traditional. I admired everything about them and it was clear to me that they loved their work, which is very important. All of this work was being done so that we could experience the gift of Ayahuasca. What would be the point of any of it if we didn’t follow the wisdom of this teacher plant? As many people do, I had a dialogue with Ayahuasca from the very beginning. Ayahuasca hinted to me back then the nature of the work that I would do – working with the medicine in some way – and I was so reluctant. I figured that this would entail years of training under the tutelage of Maestras/Maestros and I had a young son that I needed to get home to. One of the reasons I was there was to heal from depression which had kept me from being able to connect with my son or anyone else in a healthy way. Ayahuasca’s response to my reluctance was “don’t worry, we will stay with you”. And so ‘they’ did.

When I returned home, I began a sort of training that was very unique and directed by this same voice that I heard when I experienced the medicine. It has taken me through a long and arduous journey that has allowed me to build a better relationship with myself while building one with my son. It has taken me through some fascinating and deeply healing experiences that have taught me about my own ability to heal myself and it helped me to understand the origins of certain kinds of emotional and physical pain. It also helped me to be aware of my thoughts and feelings and the connection between the two and how to use tools to address unhealthy thought patterns. It has taught me a great deal and when I interview people on my show who have been through traditional training, I recognize some of the things I’ve been through and I understand why I was trained in this way. I needed to be with my son and I needed to train in a new way that was all about integrating this wisdom into my life that is not lived in a jungle or amongst people who understand this medicine. It’s lived here in a world that needs to change.

This higher form of consciousness that expresses itself as Ayahuasca has wisdom to offer that is sometimes beyond our understanding. If we are to honour it, we must trust it. It has made its way around the world intentionally and we have an opportunity to support that. Although many of us have different ideas as to the best way to experience the medicine, let’s try to honour the most sacred of the teachings of Ayahuasca: love.

Ayahuasca is a gift and everyone who receives and offers it is at a different stage of growth. I know that the medicine has changed many lives but everyone is free to choose just how they want to continue this kind of personal work or if they want to continue it at all. Having this freedom is the nature of our existence. I hope that many people choose to use this freedom in a healthy way and I think the medicines are helping people to get there. Many of us are finding that the medicine asks us to take responsibility for our own lives, live them with love and recognize how powerful we are because often, we use that power against ourselves and against others. This is also a choice.

One of the most important aspects of my ongoing training is the focus on self. For the first year after I arrived back from the jungle, Ayahuasca made me aware of how much energy I was expending in my mind on other people and what they were doing. I was continually asked to focus on my own reactions to others and to discover why I was having them. This changed everything for me. Instead of expending energy on what I couldn’t change, I was beginning to understand, heal and change myself in some incredible ways. This was powerful. It became such a deeply rooted habit that when it came time to speak about things affecting others, I was again very reluctant. But when I found that there was no longer that edge in my feelings about it, I knew that I was ready.

I think that the best way for us to honour Ayahuasca is to honour ourselves. And the best way to honour ourselves is to heal and love our selves without judgement wherever we’re at in our lives and this will help us to approach others in the same way. Not all of us find ourselves able to do this all the time but if this is our intention, I know that we will be supported in this work. If we keep to honouring Ayahuasca in this way, all of the things that we hope to change will follow from this one most important act of power, the source of which is love.

Rebecca Hayden (Ayahuasca Talks Radio Show) and Albert Nerenberg (Hypnotist from TEDX, IdeaCity, The Hypnotic Bar) will present an experience of Hypnotic Ayahuasca in Toronto on the evening of July 8th. A limited number of places are available.

There are no actual substances involved and all states are achieved naturally through trance, shared ritual and deep relaxation. In deep trance, people are able to have Ayahuasca experiences that may help them with integration. Recommended for those who have already experienced Ayahuasca.

Hypnotic Ayahuasca is an opportunity to work with the medicine in a unique way. With the help of hypnotic techniques we can re-enter the Ayahuasca state. This can be an extraordinary integrative tool. Having re-established this connection to Ayahuasca through hypnosis, we can use intentions and hypnotic suggestion to integrate the experience into our daily lives.

Testimonials:

“I was able to journey back to my time in ceremony in Peru, and I even had a new heart opening while I was there” “I’m pleased it helped play a role in my integration work.”

“Through Hypnotic Aya, we have the opportunity to delve into a deeper level of consciousness where we can ask the questions and allow the answers to come. Your gentle and compassionate presence made it safe for me to trust, not only in the process but in myself and my natural ability to access that state of Aya that is in all of us.”

“I immediately connected to Mother Aya, and had remembered my lessons learned in Peru before. I had a lot of grief and upon reconnecting I found forgiveness and unconditional love. I highly recommend this session for everyone, it gently reminded me of how I have to keep honoring this sacred plant’s teachings and that she will always be with me on my journey in life.”

“Going into the Hypnosis Ayahuasca evening was exciting and a little nerve-wracking for me. That’s how I knew it was definitely the right decision! A group of us with varied stages in personal growth and life experience got together and were led through a series of hypnosis- based ‘journeys’ that allowed us to explore and enjoy working with our unconscious minds. We came out of the whole experience feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, and for me specifically – I definitely feel more aligned with my inner Love Warrior! If you’re thinking about joining the group – or participating in a session, I say – do it! There is no one that will be able to tell you exactly the experience you will have, and if you keep yourself open to self-love, and acceptance and just allow yourself to be taken on the journey, your unconscious mind will uncover exactly what you need it to.”

“Although there were candles and trance music, this was not a hippie-style hangout. Facilitators Albert Nerenberg and Rebecca Hayden are both professional and warm. And they are genuinely knowledgeable about the subjects of Ayahuasca and hypnotism. Ceremony and ritual are integral to the Ayahuasca experience. These are things people need. Native people know it but the rest of us have largely forgotten. Unfortunately, a lot of people caught up in the micro aggressions of modern life will dismiss this kind of experience as so much superstition and self-indulgent time wasting. I’ve been there. In fact, I’m still afraid of trusting people, of letting go and looking foolish. But this was a sublime opportunity for experiential learning and I found it very valuable. It’s the kind of learning that is largely unconscious. It’s hard to rationalize listening to trance music in the dark; sharing stories of our mental experiences with people who care; letting go of self-control even though it is a source of stress and depression. It’s hard to verbalize but I can feel the learning and the benefits of this experience in my bones.”

Ayahuasca has taught me many things and one of the main areas of both study and application of these lessons has involved the mind. This talk will provide you with some valuable insights and tools to help you master your mind!

Intentional blends are a unique, customized combination of 5 organic essential oils, blended in a carrier oil that is used to accompany and inspire daily intentions. The blend is applied to the crown, the forehead (3rd eye) and the heart centre while the intention is formed. This can be a powerful and enjoyable daily ritual that can help you live your life more intentionally. It can also be applied to the wrist or anywhere else you would normally use a fragrance.

For me, this ritual has changed the way that I approach each day. Instead of wondering what’s in store for me, I focus internally, where I can bring about the kind of changes that I intend to manifest around me. I do this while surrounding myself with the fragrance of plants which are much more powerful than we often realize. Please contact me directly if you would like me to make a custom intentional blend for you.

Testimonials:

“Love your blends. I have used them everyday since I got mine. Feel awesome and grounded. Recommend everyone to try them out. Specially as Rebecca Hayden makes them intuitively and they are specific to your currents needs. A must try if you are looking to improve your life! Thank you for making these awesome combinations!” – Vinita Shaw

“Let me say that this represents a simple and meaningful ritual you can incorporate into your daily routine. That and each oil blend is created with you in mind. Happy to have found this!” – Lawrence Cotton

“An amazing product line from an awesome intuitive person! I love my intentional blend essential oil and apply it every morning as I set an intention. A great gift for yourself and friends.” – Guy Crittenden

The Story of Intentional Blends:

I created my first intentional blend when I returned from my Ayahuasca retreat in Peru. During my time among the Shipibo Maestras (Shamans), I was given a ‘pusanga’. This was a bottle of floral water that I used to create daily intentions. It is a tradition among the Shipibo people to dab this floral water on the crown (top of the head), the third eye (middle of the forehead just above the eyes) and the on the heart centre while creating an intention for the day. I took my Pasanga home but found that I didn’t like the fragrance. I created my own with the guidance of a presence that has become a part of my life since my experiences in Peru. I was provided with a list of 5 specific essential oils and the number of drops were specified as well. I used this until it was empty and then a brand new formula was given to me. Months later, a friend came to stay with me from out of town and while showering one morning, a list of 5 essential oils were given to me for her. I asked her if she’d like for me to make her this blend and she agreed. She loved the fragrance. I instructed her how to use it and months later, when she had used it all, a new list of oils was given to me for her and for many others.

Since then I have discovered that this ritual has been practiced throughout history by many different religions and cultures and it’s almost always considered to be sacred (relating to religion/spirituality and/or healing). “Anointing” it is called and it’s performed at the height of the coronation (the crowing of royalty) signifying the royal person’s direct connection to God. In various religions, high priests are anointed in this way. Anointing of one sort or another is performed in many religions worldwide. It was practiced by the Egyptians and other indigenous cultures including this ancient Shipibo tribe. The Christian tradition also uses 5 oils, which was a revelation to me as I had always wondered why there were always 5 notes/EOs designated for each blend. There is still a great deal of mystery surrounding all of this for me but I am at peace with the mystery. It leaves me open to learning more and allows me to remain in a state of wonder – which is something I never want to lose.

Of course essential oils have their own healing powers beyond the role they play in this particular ritual. However, the explanation that most closely resembles the one provided to me by the same source of these unique blends (involving frequency and vibration) is the following excerpt from a book by Dr. David Stewart entitled: Chemistry of Essential Oils

“When molecules of essential oils are inhaled swallowed applied to the skin or internalized into your body in anyway they resonate with your bodily tissues at the frequencies intrinsic to their molecular spectrum as well as their resultant harmonic and beat frequencies. This increases your natural electromagnetic vibrations and restores coherence to your electric fields to produce healing and maintain the wellness.”

Finally, this quote:

“If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.”

Nikola Tesla

Please contact me if you would like me to create an intentional blend for you.